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CHARTER 


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IB  3r-31^  .^  "W  s 


OF    THE 


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Pioneer  Co-Operative  Company,^ 


COLUMBUS,    GEORGIA. 


COLUMBUS,  GA.  ^ 

;g)THOS.   GILBERT,   PRINTER  AISTD    BOOK-BINDER. f 


1877. 


€(k^^ 


To  the  Super hr  Court  of  said  County : 

The  petition  of  William  R.  Maetin,  EdwaPwD  J. 
HoLLEY,  Oscar  S.  Joedan,  Abeaham  Blakely,  Thomas 
Hunt  and  William  R.  Beewstee,  respectfully  show- 
that  they  desire  a  Charter  to  be  granted  to  them  and 
SLich  other  persons  as  now  are,  or  may  be  hereafter 
associated  with  them  by  this  Honorable  Court,  under 
and  in  pursuance  of  the  Code  of  this  State. 

The  object  of  this  Association  is  to  enable  its 
Stockholders  to  procure  Provisions,  and  other  neces- 
saries of  life,  upon  the  most  favorable  terms,  and  to 
save  to  themselves  the  profits  now  made  by  the  mer- 
chants. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  object  it  is  proposed  to 
carry  on,  in  the  City  of  Columbus,  in  said  County, 
the  business  of  buying  and  selling  Groceries,  Dry 
Goods,  Provisions,  Hardware,  and  other  articles  of 
General  Merchandise,  in  the  manner  in  which  such 
business  is  usually  conducted  by  merchants. 

The  Corporate  name  is 


||g  |taef  |e-|p 


and  the  time  for  which  they  desire  the  Charter  to  con- 
tinue is  Twenty  years. 

M5tl574 


The  Capital  of  said  Company  is  Fifteen  Thousand 
Dollars  ($15,000,)  with  the  privilege  of  increasing  the 
same  to  Fifty  Thousand  Dollars  ($50,000,)  divided 
into  shares  of  Ten  Dollars  ($10)  each,  transferable  in 
such  manner  and  under  such  restrictions  as  the  said 
Corporation,  by  their  By-Laws,  may  require  and 
direct. 

The  Petitioners  pray  that  an  order  may  be  passed 
declaring  this  application  granted. 

PEABODY  &  BRANNON, 
Att'ys  for  Petitioners. 
Filed  in  Office  September  9th,  187(>. 

JNO.  SCHNELL, 

Deputy  Clerk. 


In  the  matter  of     i 
W.    R.    MARTIN,  -  Application  for  Charter. 
et  al.  ) 

It  appearing  to  the  Court  that  the  above  petition 
has  been  published  in  the  Columbus  Enquirer-Sun 
once  a  week  for  one  month  prior  to  the  first  day  of 
the  present  Term  of  this  Court,  and  after  having  heard 
said  petition  the  Court  is  satisfied  that  the  application 
is  legitimately  within  the  purview  and  intention  of  the 
Code.  It  is  Ordered^  that  said  application  is  granted 
and  the  Petitioners,  and  their  successors,  are  incor- 
porated for  and  during  the  term  and  period  of  Twenty 
years,  with  the  privilege  of  renewal  at  the  expiration 
of  that  time,  according  to  the  provisions  of .  this  Code. 


STATE  OF  GEORGIA,  MUSCOGEE  Co. 

Cleek's  Office  of  the  ) 

SUPERIOR  COURT  ^ 

OF  SAID  County.) 
I,  George  Y.  Pond,  Deputy  Clerk  of  said  Court, 
do  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  three  pages  con- 
tain copy  of  the  proceeding  had  in  the  matter  of  W. 
R.  Martin,  et  al.,  AppHcation  and  Order  granting 
Charter  of  The  Pioneee  Co-Opeeative  Company,  at 
November  Term,  1876. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  Seal  of  Office  this,  the 
13th  day  of  December,  1876. 

GEO.  Y.  POND,  Dep'y  Clerk 
S.  C.  M.  C,  Ga. 


BY-L^AV^S 


OF  THE 


Pioneer  Co-Operative  Company. 


TIME    OF    MEETING. 

Section  1.  The  annual  meeting  of  the  Stockholders 
of  this  Corporation  shall  be  held  on  the  second  Wed- 
nesday in  July  in  each  year,  beginning  in  the  year 
1878,  in  their  building  or  at  their  office  in  Columbus, 
Georgia,  of  which  notice  shall  be  published  in  one  or 
more  of  the  city  papers,  two  weeks  or  longer,  preced- 
ing the  date  of  meeting — it  being  the  intention  of 
this  section  that  it  shall  not  apply  until  the  year  1878.  _^ 

QUORUM— PROXY.  » 

Sec.  2.  Stockholders  representing  a  majority  of  the 
Stock  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  Any  Stockholder 
may  be  represented  and  vote  by  proxy,  provided  such 
person  so  appointed  by  proxy  be  a  Stockholder,  and 
his  appointment  must  be  in  writing,  signed  by  the 
principal  and  addressed  to  the  President. 


BISECTION    OF    DIRECTORS. 

Sec.  3.  The  Stockholders,  at  their  annual  meeting, 
shall  elect  five  Directors  by  ballot  to  serve  until  their 
successors  are  chosen.  In  such  elections  the  persons 
having  the  greatest  number  of  votes,  (though  less 
than  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast)  shall  be  declared 
duly  elected. 

EI^IGIBLLITY. 

Sec.  4.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  the  o£&ce  of 
President  or  Director  who  is  not  the  holder  of  at  least 
five  shares  (o)  of  stock  in  his  own  name. 

ELECTION  OF  PRESIDENT  AND  TREASURER. 

Sec.  5.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Directors  subse- 
qu^ent  to  their  election  they  shall  elect  one  of  their 
own  number  President  of  the  Company,  and  they 
shall  also  elect  a  Treasurer,  who  shall  be  a  Stockholder 
in  the  Company,  and  the  said  Treasurer  may  be  re- 
moved at  the  discretion  of  the  Directors,  and  another 
appointed  to  supply  the  vacancy. 

DUTY  OF  THE   PRESIDENT. 

Sec.  6.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  pre- 
side at  all  meetings  of  the  Stockholders,  and  when 
present,  at  the  Board  of  Directors.  In  his  absence 
from  a  Directors'  meeting,  one  of  the  Directors  shall 
be  chosen  by  those  present  to  preside.  The  President 
shall  call  meetings  of  the  Stockholders  and  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  whenever  he  may  deem  them  neces- 
sary— and  the  President  shall  call  a  meeting  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  on  the  request  of  any  two  of  the 
Directors.  He  shall  call  a  meeting  of  the  Stock- 
holders at  the  request  of  one-third  of  the  aggregate 
amount  of  the  Stock,  and  he  shall  have  general  super- 
vision of  all  the  affairs  of  the  Company. 


DUTY  OF  THE  TREASURER. 

Sec.  7.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  keep 
a  record  of  the  proceedings  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Stockholders  and  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  He  shall 
keep,  or  cause  to  be  kept,  the  books,  papers,  accounts 
and  funds  of  the  Company  ;  and  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Stockholders,  make  a  full  report  of  the 
affairs  of  the  Company,  and  at  any  other  time,  when 
required  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  he  shall  make  a 
report  of  the  condition  of  the  Company's  affairs. 
MEETING  OF  DIRECTORS. 

Sec.  8.  The  President  and  Directors  shall  meet — so 
soon  as  it  is  ready  for  occupancy — at  the  office  of  the 
Company  as  often  and  at  such  times  (being  at  least 
four  times  a  year,  and  one  meeting  to  be  within  one 
month  subsequent  to  the  Stockholders'  Annual  Meet- 
ing,) as  Board  may  elect.  The  President  and  two 
Directors,  or  in  the  absence  of  the  President,  then 
three  Directors,  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the 
transaction  of  business. 

DUTY  OF  DIRECTORS. 

Sec.  9.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have  authority 
to  manage  the  affairs  and  exercise  the  powers,  privi- 
leges and  franchises  of  the  Company  as  they  may 
deem  it  expedient  for  the  interest  of  the  Company, 
subject  to  the  terms  of  the  Charter  and  such  By-Laws 
as  may  be  from  time  to  time  prescribed  by  the  Stock- 
holders. 

SALARIES  AND  BOND. 

Sec.  10.  The  President  and  Directors  shall  appoint 
such  officers  as  may  be  considered  requisite  for  the 
service  of  the  Company,  who  may  be  removable  by 
the  Board.      The  President  and  Treasurer  shall  also 


appoint  Clerks  and  all  other  employees  which  they 
may  deem  necessary  for  conducting  the  business  of 
the  Company,  who  may  be  removable  by  the  Board. 
The  President  and  Directors  shall  fix  the  compensa- 
tion of  all  salaried  officers  and  employees  of  this 
Company.  They  shall  be  required  to  exact  a  bond  of 
all  salaried  officers  for  the  performance  of  their  duties, 
and  their  good  conduct  while  in  office. 
DIVIDENDS. 

Sec.  11.  The  Board  of  Directors  may  declare  divi- 
dends of  the  profits  of  the  Company  as  they  may 
deem  it  expedient. 

CERTIFICATES  OF  STOCK. 

Sec.  12.  Certificates  of  stock  in  this  Company  shall 
be  issued  with  the  seal  of  the  Company  attached,  and 
shall  be  signed  by  the  President  and  countersigned  by 
the  Treasurer. 

TRANSFERS. 

Sec.  13.  The  Stock  of  the  Company  shall  be  trans- 
ferred only  by  surrender  of  the  certificate,  and  on  the 
transfer  book  of  the  Company,  to  be  kept  in  the 
office  of  said  Company,  by  the  person  in  whose  name 
it  appears  or  by  an  authorized  legal  attorney. 
LOST  CERTIFICATES. 

Sec.  14.  Where  a  person  to  whom  a  Certificate  of 
Stock  has  been  issued  alleges  it  to  have  been  lost,  he 
shall  file  in  the  office  of  the  Company  an  affidavit  that 
he  has  lost  it,  setting  forth  the  time,  placa  and  circum- 
stances of  the  loss  and  proof  of  having  complied  with 
all  laws  existing  in  regird  to  advertising  lost  pap3rs, 
or  otherwise  regarding  lost  papers,  and  finally,  to  give 
such  approved  bond  as  will  indemnify  the   Company 


10 

against  smj  loss  in  consequence  of  issuing  a  new  Cer- 
tificate in  place  of  the  one  alleged  to  be  lost.  These 
conditions  being  complied  with,  a  new  Certificate  may 
be  issued. 

LIEN  ON  STOCK. 

Sec.  lo.  The  amount  due  the  Company  on  any  ac- 
count by  any  Stockholder,  shall  constitute  a  lien  upon 
the  stock  of  such  shareholder  ;  nor  shall  any  stock  be 
transferred  until  all  debts  due  or  demands  of  the  Com- 
pany upon  such  person  holding  such  stock  shall  have 
been  fully  paid. 

VAI.IDITY  OF  NOTES,  &c. 

Sec.  16.    No  note,   deed,  or  conveyance,   made  by 
this  corporation,  shall  be  valid  or  binding  upon  it,  un- 
less signed  by  both  the  President  and  Treasurer. 
CASH  SALES  AND  PURCHASES. 

Sec.  17.  It  is  understood,  and  hereby  declared,  to 
be  the  policy  of  this  Company,  that  all  sales  made  by 
its  officers  or  employees,  and  all  deliveries  of  mer- 
chandise for  and  on  account  of  this  Company,  shall 
be  made  for  cash,  or  cash  in  thirty  (30)  days  from 
date  of  such  sale  and  delivery  ,•  and  further,  that  the 
policy  of  this  Company  shall  be  to  make  all  purchases 
for  cash,  and  when  it  shall  be  feasible,  or  to  the  inter- 
est of  the  ComiDany;  to  make  any  purchase  otherwise 
than  for  cash,  a  quorum  of  the  Directors  shall  be  no- 
tified of  such  purchase. 

CHANGE  OF  BY-LATVS. 

Sec.  18.  The  By-Laws  of  this  Comj^any  can  be  al- 
tered, amended  or  added  to  by  a  vote  of  a  majority  of 
the  subscribed  Capital  Stock  of  the  Company. 


1^511574 


